In fulfillment of his promise to the nation that he will ensure equity and fairness in the allocation/revocation of plots of land in the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Minister, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar has inaugurated the FCT Land Use and Allocation Committee.

The Minister who inaugurated the Committee at the Banquet Hall of the FCT Minister’s residence in Life Camp, Abuja, last week, said the members of the committee have been carefully selected to give the committee the integrity it deserves, adding that this action has been taken in accordance with the law of the land.

Dr. Umar remarked that the FCT Land Use Act directs that there must be a standing Land Use and Allocation Committee to handle and advise the FCT Minister on all land related matters.

“The Committee is statutorily created by the Land Use Act CAP 202 LFN 1990 saddled with the responsibility for advising the Minister on any matter connected with the management of land with particular reference to land allocations and other related matters” the Minister noted.

According to him, other functions of the Committee include to “advice the Minister on any matter connected with the resettlement of persons affected by the revocation of Rights of Occupancy on the ground of overriding public interest and determine disputes as to the amount of compensation payable under Land Use Act for improvements on land”.

The 11-man Land Use and Allocation Committee is to be chaired by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Rafiq Ogunbambi while the members are Engr. Adamu Ismaila, the Chief of Staff to the Minister; Muhammad Ma’aji Alkali, the FCT General Counsel; Dr. Ismail Iro, the General Manager of AGIS; Abubakar Suleiman, FCT Director of Urban and Regional Planning and Yahaya Yusuf, FCT Director of Development Control.

Others are a representative of the Town Planners, Alhaji Saka Olajide, a representative of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ndagene Akwu; a representative of Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Dr. Felix Ogbera, a representative of Nigeria Bar Association, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, and the Director of Lands, Nana Buhari who will serve as  member/Secretary.

Responding on behalf of members, the Committee chairman, Dr. Rafiq Ogunbambi promised that they will take Abuja to the next level of development.

The Chairman stated that gone were the days when confusion characterized the management of land in the Federal Capital Territory.

“We shall be guided by the rule of law, due process, principle of transparency and equity as well as the fear of God”, he added.